How to Pack a Travel Capsule Wardrobe for Summer

Packing for Your Next Trip

Isn’t it funny how you can look in your closet on an average Tuesday and have “nothing” to wear, then suddenly neeeeeeed to pack almost every top you own when you’re headed out of town? Now you’ve got everything to wear, and only about ten days to fit it all in – cue my summer camp days of changing clothes before every lunch and dinner, just because.

If you love triple-outfit vacation days, then please do fill up a big suitcase (preferably cute and hard-sided) with a zillion packing cubes of options for yourself. Also, send me your instagram handle because I want to see those looks!

But if you’d rather spare yourself some luggage-lugging and outfit-choosing, try my favorite solution for packing light & stylishly: a travel capsule wardrobe. I aim for a well-edited, remixable collection of clothes that can see me through my trip, so I can get dressed on autopilot and focus on enjoying wherever I am.

steamline luggage, soludos espadrilles, roxanne assoulin bracelet, kitschy bling lemon earrings, banana republic sunglasses (similar), madewell eyelet top, j. crew gingham skirt (similar), frame denim, asos floral dress (similar), leith black midi dress (similar), rhode ella dress (different print).

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Designing Your Travel Capsule

When I’m starting to pack for a trip, the first thing I do is find the pieces in my closet that will work best for whatever is on my itinerary – the clothes you’d wear for sunning on the Amalfi Coast are probably different than what you’d want for exploring New York City, right?

Gather up the things you know you’ll want to wear, lay them out (or use this app), and you’ll probably start to see a nice collection coming together – different things that work together, a color that pops up in a few different places. From here you can tell what doesn’t work, and where there are gaps to fill. Borrow, rent, or buy what you need and bon voyage!

You’ll find the right amount of clothes for you, but here’s my method: for longer trips I pack about 25 items/20 outfit combinations, but if it’s less than ten days around 15 items/11 outfit combinations is plenty. Click here for the 25-item capsule that saw me through three months of summer travel.

 

Summer Travel Capsule Wardrobe

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Tops

White lace is a year-round staple for me, ditto to fun stripes and simple more-than-a-t-shirt tops.

Bottoms

A good pair of jeans, some high-waisted shorts, and a printed skirt is a pretty perfect formula in my book.

Dresses

The ultimate in autopilot dressing: a one-and-done outfit that works for just about anything. I have a black jersey midi dress that’s one of my most-worn items ever, and am always in search of a good floral print.

Shoes

I’m on my second pair and fourth year of these striped espadrilles! Some leather sandal slides and white sneakers can go almost anywhere with almost anything.

Accessories

Finish everything off with a basket bag or a big tote, a stack of colorful bracelets, and a fun pairs of sunglasses.

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